Former 49ers launch Golden Heart race to help ailing ex-teammates

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STANFORD, CA – JANUARY 20: Running back Roger Craig #33 of the San Francisco 49ers follows his blocker offensive guard Randy Cross #51 in Super Bowl XIX against the Miami Dolphins at Stanford Stadium on January 20, 1985 in Stanford, California. The 49ers won 38-16. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

SANTA CLARA — Because so many ex-49ers are ailing, a group of leaders from the team’s dynasty years, including Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott and Keena Turner, helped create a charitable fund last winter to assist players in crisis.

Proceeds from the event will provide “support and relief in time of physical, mental and financial crisis” for former 49ers, the announcement said. Registration fees start at $40 for individuals and $2,500 for teams entering the 49K relay.

“This is what Bill Walsh preached all the time: We’re an extension of each other,” said Craig, the official host and ambassador for the race. “And if some of our players are in dire straits, we have their backs.”

Ron Ferrari, a former 49ers linebacker, said the non-profit Golden Heart Fund was essentially born last summer at a fitting location: a party for Eddie DeBartolo on the eve of his induction to the Pro Hall of Fame.

Ferrari was at the gala, chatting with the likes of Montana and Lott, as they tried to figure out why more ex-players didn’t show up for DeBartolo’s big night. The more the players talked, the more they realized how often the reason could be traced back to poor health or financial difficulties.

“It was really Ronnie Lott who challenged us and said, ‘We need to do something formally to help our former players,”’ said Ferrari, now the president of the Golden Heart Fund board of directors.

So after players returned from Canton, a series of star-studded conference calls featuring Montana, Lott, Harris Barton, Brent Jones, Gene Washington, Bill Ring and other former players focused on brainstorming for better ways serve their old teammates.

The basic premise of the resulting idea: Anyone who played even one season for the 49ers can submit an application detailing a personal hardship. Needs might range from medical bills and monthly rent to burial costs for a family member. As the final stage of the application process, members of the alumni board — Ferrari, Jones, Lott and Barton — lead the decision on how to allocate funds.

“This is not to take the place of any of the NFL safety nets. There are plenty of those,” said Ferrari, who played for the 49ers from 1982-86. “We’re there just to pick somebody off the ground and say, ‘Hey, you had a little bump here. Let’s get it going.’ We’re trying to get them ready for their next play in their life.”

Based on the description, the fund’s mission seems as if it would apply to Dwight Clark. The receiver best known for “The Catch” revealed in March that he is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

“Dwight knows it’s available and we’re having that conversation,” Ferrari said. “But right now, he’s more excited about raising money and helping other guys. That’s a little bit of the selflessness of his attitude. That’s the kind of guy he is.”

DeBartolo and the York family have each pledged one million to the Golden Heart Fund. In addition, the team donates half of the proceeds from 49ers Museum tickets to support the operation.

The Golden Heart 4.9K event (that’s about a 3-mile run) replaces the previous iteration of the race, the 49ers Rush, which began in 2014. This year’s run features a health expo in Levi’s Stadium the day before the event.

Craig will be there, of course. An avid runner in retirement, the three-time Super Bowl champion already envisions getting into the charitable spirit on race day by pushing runners who need a nudge toward the finish line.

At a half-marathon not long ago, Craig spotted a woman in tears trying to fight her way through shin splints.

“It told her, ‘It’s your lucky day,”’ Craig said. And then he paced her and encouraged her over the final 3 miles to make sure she beat her goal of finishing in under 2 hours. When it was done, she called Craig “an angel.”

“I love it,” Craig said. “I love encouraging people. You get across that finish line, you get a nice medal and you have this sense of accomplishment. It’s an amazing feeling.”